Lost Under The Helmet
by Xavier5150
Summary: Juggernaught finds himself waking in an alley with no memory. This story follows his adventures as he struggles to regain his mind. When his memory returns, things get nasty. Please Read & Review!
1. Chapter 1: Awake And Alone

Chapter 1

It is very early in the morning in a back alley in New York City. The sun is struggling to break over the horizon and the air is less stale than usual. Morning dew creeps down the side of a large black dumpster as sounds of light traffic twist in the air from the nearby avenue. Small clumps of paper garbage dance in the light breeze swirling in the alley. An abnormally large man lying next to the dumpster is waking and rubbing his head due to a massive headache.

"What the hell am I doing here?"

He rises to his feet and surveys the area around him. Nothing is familiar. Not even his name.

"Who am I?"

He looks at the strange garments wrapping his body. Metal bands wrap his hands and arms, heavy boots on his feet, and strange body armor hugs his torso. He has no idea who he is or why he's where he is, but he wants answers. A woman is passing the entry to the alleyway on her morning run.

"Hey lady!"

She speeds up.

"LADY!"

She stops and turns to him with fear in her eyes. "What do you want?" she asks.

"Where am I and what day is it?"

"Are you kidding me?"

"Do I look like I'm kidding?" he says with a scowl.

"Uh…well…you're in New York and it's Saturday the 14th."

"The 14th of what?"

"April."

"What year?"

"Really?"

"YES!"

"2006. Are you ok?"

"I will be."

He walks out of the alley into the street to find what appears to be a war zone. Cars are battered and burned, some of them turned over and piled on the sidewalk. A couple of nearby buildings have holes and cracks in them as if a tank had hit them. A bloody telephone pole lays in the middle of the sidewalk as a couple of detectives are swabbing the blood and putting the q-tips in small plastic bags.

"This looks like a fourth person was hit, Captain! I found another different color of hair up here near the top of the pole. Whoever or whatever did this must have been psycho."

"Detective, you know we do not use that term in our line of work."

The man from the alley can hardly believe what he sees. He stands and wonders if he had anything to do with this crime scene. Maybe that is why he can't remember anything. A beautiful blonde woman in a long tan trench coat approaches him from across the street.

"Cain! Oh my god! We've been worried about you. Hurry up let's go before they see you."

"Before who sees me?"

"Quit acting stupid, Cain. Get your helmet so we can go!"

"What helmet? Who are you and where are we going?"

"Who am I? Oh man, you must have been hit harder than I thought."

"Lady, I'm not going anywhere with you until I get some answers."

"It's me…Raven."

"Who?"

"Mystique. You know. Mystique?"

"I have no idea who you are, but if you don't let go of my hand…"

"Trust me, Cain, I want to take care of you, but we have to hurry."

Cain follows her down the sidewalk and gets into a large black sedan with her and the car drives away. He is admiring the beauty of Raven. She is long and slender, tan skin, well built; the kind of woman that men dream of. She looks over to him and smiles.

"Everything's going to be ok."

Mystique lets her camouflage down and reverts back to her normal, blue-skinned self. Cain draws back from her with his mouth gaped open. He cannot believe what he's just seen.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU?"

He pulls on the car door handle to find it locked. In his panic, he pushes on the door, forcing it off the hinges and leaps from the car. She tells the driver to stop the car and begins to chase him down the street after she changes back into the blonde.

"Wait Cain! Come back! Don't be afraid! Waaaaiiitt!"

Cain jumps a fence in another alley and disappears around a corner.


	2. Chapter 2: The Bar And The Old Man

Chapter 2

Later that day, Cain wandered into a bar holding a crumpled five dollar bill he found along the side of the road. He has pulled the bands from his arms and hands and stuffed them in his waistband. He goes up to the bartender to make an order.

"Hey bartender, let me get a beer."

"What brand, buddy?"

"Anything will do…..no…… make it a Hession. German beer would hit the spot right about now."

The bartender serves up a cold one to Cain as he digs into the pretzel bowl at the bar. He sits in the dim light pondering what he'd seen a couple of hours earlier in the car. An elderly gentleman sits next to him and begins to talk to him.

"Why so glum, chum?"

"You wouldn't understand.'

"Son, I've been around many years. When you're as long in the tooth as I am, you've seen and heard just about everything. Girl leave you? Lost your job? Come on, big guy, tell me what it is. Maybe I can help."

"O.K. smart guy. I have no idea who I am. Help me with that."

"What do you mean?"

"I woke up next to a dumpster this morning. It looked like World War Three happened around me, but I don't remember any of it. Some woman turned blue in front of me. I don't mean blue as in suffocating; I mean blue like a human smurf. I got away from her and ended up here. What kind of guy runs into problems like that?"

"Well, apparently, you do. Hahaha. You drink a lot last night?"

"Look old timer, I just want to figure out what's going on and go home."

"Let me get you another round. I know how it is to feel like you don't belong anywhere and to not know anyone. You need a friend right now."

"Thanks."

Two rough guys are playing pool behind Cain and the old man. The first guy looks like a typical thug, shaved head with a handlebar moustache, wearing a ripped denim vest so people can see his barbed wire tattoo around his arm. The second is a larger man, probably 350 pounds with a long dark beard, wearing an old t-shirt with a bull's skull on the front. As the bald guy is about to take is next shot, the old man gets up to go to the restroom and bumps into the bald guy.

"Excuse me, son."

"I ain't your son, grandpa, and if you don't watch yourself, you'll end up picking your teeth up off the floor."

Cain turns around on his stool.

"He said excuse me, there's no need for…"

"WHY DON'T YOU SHUT THE HELL UP, SASQUATCH? You keep running' your mouth and you'll end up getting hurt too!"

"Hey, I'm not looking for trouble.", Cain said.

"Well you certainly found it, asshole."

The old man smirks as he watches the large bearded man get up and approach them. Cain gets up off of his stool as the bald guy steps up to him, chest to stomach.

"You better sit back down before we make you sit back down."

"You are trying my patience, little man. This is your last opportunity to apologize to that man before I…"

CRACK! The bearded man breaks a pool cue over the back of Cain's head. The old man laughs a little, as the attack has no effect. Cain's face flushes red as he turns to the bearded man.

"THAT'S IT! I was going to let this whole thing go, but you had to push the issue. Now I'm going to…"

CRACK! A second cue hits Cain on the head with no effect. He turns to the bald guy who is standing there with a broken cue handle in his hand. With a slight growl,he throws the bald man across the bar into a wall, smashing a neon sign. The bearded man chargeshim only to be caught by the throat.He raises the man into the air with one hand, squeezing his neck.

"No mercy…"

CRACK! He snaps the man's neck and drops his fat, lifeless body to the floor. The bald guy is recoveringas he standsand is reaching into the back of his pants to pull out a pistol. Cain kicks the edge of the pool table with the bottom of his foot and sends it flying into the bald guy, who in turn sails through the wall and lays dead in the street. Screams are heard both in and out of the bar as people watch in horror.

Cain looks to the old man whose smile has been replaced with a look of disappointment. He drops his head and says…

"I'm sorry. It felt natural. What kind of beast am I?"

He turns and leaves the bar slowly only to run down the street to escape the scene. The old man reaches into his coat pocket, pulls out a cell phone, and dials a number.

"Yes, sir. It was him. Turn on your TV. You'll see."


	3. Chapter 3: A New Friend?

Chapter 3: A new friend?

Cain is walking down a side street on the outskirts of town. The area is almost a ghost town with very little going on. The old homes surrounding a closed factory are boarded up with overgrown yards. A musty odor makes the air heavy on the lungs and the sounds of the city are faintly heard in the distance. He looks at his hands as he walks.

"What came over me? I cannot believe that I would be capable of such destruction. Was I the one responsible for the telephone pole?"

"Hey mister."

Cain turns to see a small child approaching him. He is very skinny; seeming mal-nourished and is swallowed by an old, brown, men's suit jacket. A pair of tattered, oversized dress shoes engulfs his feet. He holds out a dirty hand toward Cain and as he uncurls his fingers, he exposes a small piece of candy. Cain accepts the prize from the child and pretends to eat it only to toss it aside when the boy isn't looking.

"What's your name, small one?"

"People call me Azreal. Why are you wandering around over here? We hardly ever see anyone around here any more."

"What do you mean 'we'?"

"My family. You want to meet them?"

"Well, I don't know if…"

Azreal grabs his hand and begins to pull him along.

"Come on! You'll love them. They are all like me. We get to do whatever we want now. They will like seeing you too. How tall are you anyway?"

"I don't know."

"Well, we'll be there in a couple of seconds and you can meet the others."

"Where are your parents?"

"We don't talk about that."

The two keep walking into the abandoned neighborhood until they get to the opening of an old three-story house. The windows are hung with rags in a feeble attempt to create curtains and the wood siding's old eggshell paint crackles away a bit with each passing breeze. Cain looks around before he squeezes his massive body through the door. As they enter the foyer of the old house, voices can be heard coming from the other end of a long, dusty hallway. Cain looks at the boy.

"Who is that?"

"That is Bryson. He's kind of like our leader here."

Cain has to duck his head to fit through the hallway as they walk down the hall. When they get to the end, they enter a large room filled with children of multiple ages. The walls are covered in old wallpaper, some of which is peeling. A rusty ceiling fan spins slowly and sunbeams break through the rag-tag curtains that hang from the windows. In one corner of the room, an old recliner has been transformed into a makeshift throne. A teen-aged boy sits on top of the back of the chair with his feet in the seat. He is red headed and covered in freckles. He smiles at Cain when he looks up and sees him.

"Holy crap, dude! You are HUUUGE! Where'd you find this guy, Az?"

"He was just walking down the street. He looked lost so I thought I would bring him to meet you. Maybe we could show him how to have fun and take him on the run with us tonight."

"We certainly could use his might to our advantage."

Cain gets a puzzled look on his face.

"What are you two talking about?"

Bryson hops off the chair and walks up to Cain.

"Listen big man, we make the rules around here and we ask the questions. Get it?"

Cain begins to laugh at the boy, which infuriates him. As Bryson's anger grows, Cain only laughs harder, which in-turn keeps the anger level rising. Bryson's face is turning red ans hebacks away from Cain, keeping focused on him. Cain's laughter begins to subside when he realizes the iris of Bryson's eyes seem to begin to glow.

"YOU DARE JEST ME? FOOL! NOW WITNESS THE POWER OF DARK ECLIPSE AND PREPARE TO MAKE AMENDS…..OR SUFFER!"

Bryson's voice is intensely deep and loud. The house begins to shake and the rest of the children in the room scamper into various holes in the walls. As each one passes out of the room, the walls close up behind them. Cain is watching this go on around him, not believing what he is seeing. When he looks back at Bryson, he sees the boy'sbody is growing. Electrical surges jump from point to point on his body. His muscles crackle as they swell. The room seems almost black in comparison to the unyielding light emitting from Bryson's body. Bryson's once pale skin is now such a dark shade of blue that it is almost black. His hair has become white and glows as if it were filled with neon. His transformation complete, he now stands at about seven feet tall and would appear to weigh about 350 pounds in pure muscle. Cain is slowly backing away.

"Uh…..what the… how did…HAS THE WHOLE WORLD GONE MAD? Are you some kind of alien or something?"

"SILENCE, CAIN!"

"How do you know my name?"

"SILENCE!"

Dark Eclipse begins to slowly pace a circle around Cain. Cain is surprised, but shows little fear as he stares right back at Eclipse.

"You have no idea what you've walked into, do you, Cain?"

"I can't say that I do. What are you? How did you get like that?"

"I am the next ruler of the world, my friend. It is very simple. Join me or die."

"Is that a threat or an offer?"

"DO NOT BE SMART WITH ME! I HAVE THE POWER TO DESTROY YOU WHERE YOU STAND!"

"Maybe so. Let me say this…I may not remember who I am or where I come from, but I will NOT be forced into anything. I know that much about me. Your light show and growing trick was impressive, but I don't even know what you stand for."

"I stand for destroying the humans that hunt us. I stand for taking the throne among the mutants. I stand for myself."

"Destroying the humans? I'm a human!"

"THEN YOU SEAL YOUR OWN FATE!"

Eclipse raises his hands and lightning begins to bounce back and forth between them. He lowers his head to look Cain straight in the eye, smiles out of the corner of his mouth and says…

"Good-bye, human."

xX-_BAMF!_-Xx

Cain disappears in a puff of smoke.


	4. Chapter 4: Curiosity In The Sky

Chapter 4: Curiosity In The Sky

xX-BAMF!-Xx

Cain struggles to regain his breath as both he and Nightcrawler reappear outside the home. As Cain turns to see Nightcrawler, his mouth drops open at the sight of him.

"Uh…are you….some sort of demon?"

"You could say that. Most people see me that way. But I am like you; I have feelings and personality. I am often misunderstood."

"You're nothing like me."

The Blackbird jet lowers from the sky, landing within a few feet of the two on the ground. As the lower hatch drops open, Professor Xavier rolls down the ramp to Cain's feet.

"Hello Cain."

"How does everyone know my name? Am I famous or something?"

"Yes, in a way, you are. We need to leave before those young men realize we're outside."

Cain follows the professor and Nightcrawler into the jet. Inside, Storm is at the helm of the aircraft. Her eyes widen as she sees Cain enter the plane.

"Professor? Are you sure we should…"

"Absolutely, Storm. I explained this to you on the way here."

As the jet lifts from the ground, Cain looks out the window only to see the house he was in explode in a fury of lightning and what appears to be navy blue smoke. Children of different sizes scurry from the scene, some glowing, some taking the shape of various animals.

He turns his face back towards the interior and looks over to professor X.

"We are glad to see you healthy, Cain. When we get back to the academy, we will run a few tests to make sure your head is o.k. You took quite a knock on the head."

"Apparently I did. My mind feels like a shoebox full of cobwebs."

"You don't remember anything from your past?"

"Nothing."

"Well, we'll see if we can't get some of those cobwebs cleared for you."

Nightcrawler pipes up.

"Not ALL of them though. Hahaha!"

The Blackbird blasts away into the sky towards the Academy.


End file.
